Five Americans caught a sexually transmitted infection every minute last year as cases remained at a record high.
But the CDC says there are signs the STI epidemic is slowing, after spiking 90 percent in the last 20 years, calling new figures a ‘glimmer of hope.’
Official data released today showed there were 2.4million sexually transmitted infections in 2023, a two percent decline from 2022.
Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said: ‘After nearly two decades of STI increases, the tide is turning.
‘We must make the most of this moment — let’s further this momentum with creative innovation and further investment in STI prevention.’
A major driver of the rise has been a surge in syphilis over the past 20 years, especially among babies who catch it from their moms, which has alarmed doctors because it can be fatal for infants.
But after years of double-digit increases, cases rose by just one percent in 2023.
Meanwhile gonorrhea cases fell for a second year, declining seven percent from 2022 to below pre-pandemic levels. Chlamydia case rates remained stable.
The CDC says there are signs the STI epidemic is slowing after spiking 90 percent in the last 20 years
Rates of reported chlamydia remained highest among teens and young adults and in 2023. Nearly 56 percent of all cases of chlamydia were reported among people 15 to 24.
Between 2022 and 2023, chlamydia cases increased by 1.3 percent in men but dropped by 1.7 percent in women.
The updated figures provide some much-needed good news on the sexual health front as more and more young people report rarely or never using condoms, while fewer and fewer schools provide comprehensive and potentially life-saving sex education.
Chlamydia was the most commonly reported STI in 2023 with 1.6 million cases, followed by gonorrhea with 600,000 cases.
While syphilis was less common, it remains a major public health concern.
Rates of the disease plummeted in the 1940s with the advent of modern antibiotics and widespread use of condoms.
By the late 90s, the CDC was convinced the disease could be eradicated, and set up the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States. The goal seemed achievable then.
But by 2002, cases started to rise again, disproportionately affecting men who have sex with men.
There were 2.4million sexually transmitted infections in 2023, which was up just three percent compared to the previous year
Symptoms of syphilis include sores that can erupt across the body in more serious cases of infection. The patient shown above had syphilis and an HIV infection
But the good news in the latest CDC data is primary and secondary syphilis cases, the most contagious stages of the disease, dropped by 10 percent — the first significant decrease in over 20 years.
Among gay and bisexual men, cases fell by 13 percent, marking the first decline since the CDC started tracking national trends for this group in the mid-2000s.
The rise in congenital syphilis cases in newborns – passed to them in utero by their mother – seems to be slowing in some regions, with a three percent increase nationally in 2022, compared to the 30 percent annual increases seen in previous years.
Congenital syphilis raises an infant’s risk of bone damage, anemia, jaundice, nerve damage and meningitis.
The disease kills about 40 percent of babies born with it, but treatment is possible with medication.
A new ‘morning after’ pill could be the secret to improving STD trends. But this pill is not aimed at preventing pregnancy.
Instead, it’s the antibiotic doxycycline.
The CDC endorsed three large studies showing that men who have sex with men and transgender women who take 200 mg of doxycycline within 72 hours after sex can reduce syphilis and chlamydia by over 70 percent and gonorrhea by about 50 percent.
STIs that go untreated can wreak lasting damage on the body including neurological decay and infertility in both men and women.
Regular screening is crucial to preventing the spread of these diseases. This is especially true for chlamydia, which is often asymptomatic.
